During my Christmas break, I went on an incredible adventure. I realized how fortunate I am to be going to school, have a house made of brick with nice, comfy beds, air conditioners to keep me cool, and to live in the United States. The trip I went on, the places I went, and the things I got to see and experience opened my eyes to how poorly living conditions and communities can be. I am so happy I got to not only see these impoverished communities, but I was able to help the people trying to live within them.
Earlier this month both my twin sister Kiersten (pre-pharmacy major) and I (bio/pre-med major) got the opportunity to travel to Nicaragua to perform medical mission work through a national organization called Global Medical Training. However, we were not alone in our adventure. We were 2 of about 27 UT students that got to partake in the several medical clinics we hosted all throughout Nicaragua. In addition, GMT provided us a team of 5 Spanish-speaking doctors as well as about 6 Spanish-speaking dentists, many translators, and trip guides to make the trip as successful as possible. Our trip consisted of gaining more knowledge in the medical field, lots of bus rides, 4 clinic days, a couple hotels, and some fun group activities.
Driving around the different areas of Nicaragua, we didn’t expect anything too ornate just by looking at the buildings and civilization within the towns. I would even say that we were slightly impressed by the towns and cities like Managua, which is the capital of Nicaragua, and Grenada. However our clinic days were not in these towns. In fact some clinics were hours away from our hotel. On the way to clinic I would look out the window at the tiny, little shacks made of aluminum with the dirt as the floor these families called home. I would see groups of people walking the same direction our bus was going because they had heard our clinic was being set up nearby. We would stop at the location the clinic was supposed to be and I would see lines of people, families, and young children waiting to be seen by us. All of our clinics took place inside classrooms. There would typically be two classrooms that were a part of the same building and we would all just be sitting in old, wooden desks as we visited with each patient and the doctors would be going to and from each room giving their approval on our diagnoses.
The clinics would consist of listening to each patient’s problems and concerns, their symptoms, taking their vitals, and then from that we would make a diagnosis and propose certain medications for the patient. One of the GMT staffed doctors would then use their knowledge to check and verify our decision. I don’t know enough Spanish to converse with the many patients and families we saw during a clinic day so thankfully there was a translator per couple of students to aid in the communicating process. It was nice how many patients immediately opened up to us in informing us of their pain or concerns. Depending on where the clinic was located, the families and people living in the area experienced many of the same symptoms and illnesses as others living in the same area. A few patients we saw in the clinics were so hypertensive to the point that it was life threatening. It’s sad to think that if we saw them sooner, we could’ve helped control their blood pressure so it wouldn’t get so chronic. During the clinics we diagnosed a lot of children and families with parasites due to the lack of sanitary water they drink. It was sad to see some mothers of 6 or 7 children try to provide for their family in these destitute communities. Many children explained to us that they lived in a “house” with as many as 10 other people and had to sleep in the same bed with as many as 4 of them. There were many stories from patients that caught me off guard and scared me. Some stories I couldn’t even believe. Others told us that they could never go to the stationary clinic because it would be a daylong walk there and back.
Just by working our first clinic day, both Kiersten and I realized how incredibly grateful each patient was just by the medications we gave them. For some of them, it is this medication that is keeping them alive and healthy. Even for some patients we would have to recommend them do something as simple as drink more water every day. We would see kids with no shoes, tattered up clothes, dirt all over their feet and hands, and yet they would have the biggest smiles on their faces. We would give them toys and stickers we had brought from the U.S. and their faces would light up even more. It was incredible to see.
One of our favorite memories of the trip lasted just 45 minutes. We boarded the bus in Granada on the morning of our ‘free day’ and one of the guides explains to us that there is this orphanage nearby that we will be visiting. He continues by saying that we were going to get dropped off at a market to buy whatever we wanted to give the children in the orphanage. Kiersten and I just lit up and went crazy shopping at the store. We bought tons of rice, eggs, beans, vegetables, snacks, you name it, and we even found these really fun giant bouncy balls we thought the kids would enjoy playing with. After everyone in our group bought the things they wanted to give to the orphanage, we headed over to the orphanage and just started to pile all sorts of food on a counter in the back of this big room. As we continued to pile all of the food on this counter, in the background were all the kids screaming and running around all excited to see us. They wanted stickers and pictures and they kept wanted to play this hand-slapping game. They all just looked so happy, it was hard to believe we were in an orphanage. The man in charge of the orphanage began to explain to us in Spanish about the living conditions and family situations these kids come from and how his orphanage gives them an escape and a refuge from their lives back at home. It was sad to listen to but in looking at each smiling little boy and little girl, I couldn’t help but smile myself. Unfortunately we didn’t get to stay long but besides the clinics, visiting the orphanage and seeing all the fun, cheerful kids was our favorite.
Overall, to me, this trip was a life changing experience. It not only solidified my passion for medicine and my love for helping people in need but it forced me to see the good in the bad. Some of these kids had infections that, if in the United States, it wouldn’t even get that bad. We have access to doctors and hospitals at our fingertips compared to the people living in these slums of communities. The doctors who accompanied us on our trip earned my upmost respect as they devote their lives to traveling with GMT in their home country and help their fellow Nicaraguans live a healthy life and yet they are so incredibly thankful for us and we were only there for one week.
Our goal on this trip was to help as many as we could, and with the help of the GMT staff, we were able to touch and mend the lives of a little less than one thousand Nicaraguans total in the clinics we hosted. There is no other experience like this. I will definitely go on another trip with GMT, whether it be to Nicaragua or another foreign country. ZLAM
Sydney Braasch
PC12
0 comments:
Post a Comment